The Three Brothers
by shiningsilverwolf
Summary: Based off a tumblr prompt I saw, this is "The Three Brothers" with Supernatural characters. Warning for character death and suicide.


**A/N: Hey guys, this is my first story, so tell me what you think! This is based off a tumblr prompt I saw, how Dean and Sam are similar to the two oldest brothers in the Harry Potter "The Three Brothers" story. *Warning for suicide* Enjoy! XXX, shiningsilverwolf**

 _"There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river, too deep to wade through, and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure, and it was Death. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for being clever enough to evade him."_

Dean was already in a rotten mood as it was. He had a new half-brother, Sam was addicted to demon blood, and the body count Lilith was leaving had been mounting quicker than they could keep up with. By the time the three brothers reached the river, he was close to snapping. The road ended, and there was no bridge in sight, so there was no way to cross using the Impala. Dean got out of the car, slamming the door as he did. He mentally winced, as mad as he was, he didn't mean to take it out on his baby.

From the passenger's seat, Sam swung his lanky body out of the car, casting a sideways glance at his older brother as he did so. Dean was wound tighter than a coiled spring, and as much as Dean tried to hide it, not much got past Sam when it came to his older brother's emotions.

Adam awkwardly clambered out of the backseat, ill at ease in the company of the two men. It was weird enough that he had two older brothers he never knew about, but to find out they hunted supernatural creatures was pushing the envelope. He couldn't help the small seed of resentment that festered in the back of his brain, whispering at him that John loved Sam and Dean more, that John only spent time with Adam out of a twisted sense of obligation. After all, if he loved Adam like he loved his older sons, wouldn't he have taught Adam how to defend himself and his mother? If he cared about Adam, where was John when his mother was killed?

All three brothers stood at the shoreline of the river, staring across the expanse of churning rapids. They needed to cross in order to reach _Singer's Salvage Yard_ , where Bobby had asked Dean to meet him so they could discuss how to cure Sam's cravings. Resigned, Dean tilted his head back and prayed,

" _Castiel, oh holy angel of Tuesday or something, if you would deign to get your feathery ass down here and transport us and the Impala across the river so we could stop the apocalypse, that would be great."_

Upon hearing a _whoosh_ , and sensing a powerful presence, Dean opened his eyes. Before him, in all his glory, stood the trench coat-wearing angel himself, looking unamused.

Cas sighed, "Dean, how many times must I repeat that I am the angel of Thursday, and not your personal taxi."

"Probably at least a few more" responded Dean, not really paying attention.

With an eye roll, Castiel waved his hand and materialized the three brothers and the car on the other side of the river and disappeared.

Unknown to the bickering siblings, Lilith had called Death and ordered that the brothers be drowned in the river. Trying to find a way to fulfill his orders, Death glided over to the three and congratulated them on their progress on stopping the apocalypse, and told them that to show his gratitude, he would grant each brother a wish.

The youngest went first, not having learned the lesson that everything comes with a price. He asked for power, desperately wanting to one-up his brothers for once. And power he was granted. Death told him that soon he would possess more power than any human on Earth.

Next went the middle brother, who asked for the power to bring one person back from the dead. His wish was granted, just not in the way he expected.

Finally, the oldest went. The most skeptical of the three brothers, he knew what awaited seemingly innocent propositions like this one. He thought long and hard, and then simply asked for invisibility from all angels. Thus, the third wish was granted.

The first one claimed by Death was Adam. He got his power in the form of angel possession, in having his body wielded like a weapon, then cast aside when it was no longer useful.

" _The first brother traveled for a week or more, and, reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard, with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted of the powerful wand which he had snatched from Death himself and of how it made him invincible. That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay wine-sodden upon his bed. The thief took the wand, and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so, Death took the first brother for his own."_

Sam passed next. He got his wish in the form of nightmares. Every night, his dreams were plagued by visions of the girl he loved, encouraging him to give up. He tried to blame it on the demon blood, but when he was clean, and the visions continued, he knew the cause. Driven mad, Sam took his own life.

 _"Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here, he took out the stone which had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as though by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there, and suffered. Finally, the second brother, driven mad by hopeless longing, killed himself, so as to truly join her. And so, Death took the second brother for his own."_

Many times Death tried to claim Dean, but each time he was unsuccessful. Finally, Death smiled, shook his head, and continued on his way. Dean would come when he was ready, and not a second before, that much was clear. However, as soon as Death came to that conclusion, he felt a presence that he hadn't felt for quite some time. For when Sam is gone, Dean is ready.

Dean took a swig of whiskey and drove the Impala to a river that stirred old memories. Leaning back against the hood, he gazed up at the stars.

"Really Sammy, going out over a girl? And here I thought I taught you better than that. Well, you always were the rebellious one, weren't you?"

And with that Dean went to his beloved car, sat in the driver's seat as he has done for years, and released the trigger.

A wise man once said, "Family don't end in blood." He was right, but just this once, it did.

 _"But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility, and gave it to his son. And then, he greeted Death as an old friend, went with him gladly, and, as equals, they departed this life."_


End file.
